Gracie Abrams, a name that within the last year has become wildly popular in the “New and Upcoming Artist” category, leaving many to wonder what has led to her sudden rise in popularity. With her second studio album releasing June 21, it’s time to take a look into what causes students at State High to love and appreciate this artist so much.
Abrams first EP “minor” was released in 2020, followed by her second EP “This Is What It Feels Like” in 2021, and then her first studio album “Good Riddance” in 2023.
“I’ve been a fan of Gracie since her first single ‘I miss you, I’m sorry’,” sophomore Jackie Eveleth stated.“Ever since then, I’ve carried a deep love and admiration for her and it’s so amazing and inspiring to see her grow and to see other people finding love for her.”
Some fans have been there since the beginning, while others became fans along the way.
“I started listening to Gracie after ‘This Is What It Feels Like’ came out,” junior Lucia Simon said. “‘Good Riddance’ was the first of her music that I felt a deep connection to. I’m so happy for her because of how much she has grown as an artist recently, being on the Eras Tour and everything.”
Abrams’ first studio album “Good Riddance” was released on Feb. 24, and on April 1, she joined Taylor Swift at the Eras tour as an opener playing songs from her new album.
“The first time I truly listened to Gracie was right as ‘Good Riddance’ came out,” junior Caroline Concepcion said. “I loved the overall sound of the album and how every single track seemed to flow together. Her recent success is incredible to think about and I’m so happy for her and can’t wait to see what else she creates.”
After recently wrapping up her tour as Taylor Swift’s opening act, Abrams has not missed a beat, announcing a new album “The Secret of Us”. “THE SECRET OF US is an album that I made with some of my favorite people (!!!!!!!!!!) is yours JUNE 21 and the first single RISK comes out on MAY 1!” Gracie said in the caption of an instagram post she made on April 29th.
This post immediately got fans excited and ready to listen to the first single for the album, releasing one day after Abrams had posted this.
After their first listen to the single “Risk” students at State High had opinions to share.
“I love her new single ‘Risk’ so much it’s not even funny. I feel like it’s almost a little bit out of her comfort zone and unlike things she’s written in the past but I think that’s a part of what makes it so good” said Eveleth.
Others agree that “Risk” seems to have a different feel from Abrams previous music. “‘Risk’ has such a different sound from her other music, it’s not completely happy and upbeat but definitely more so than her other work.” Simon said.
Students get the feeling from the single that Abrams could be entering a new chapter of her life.
“I think “Risk” was the perfect way for Gracie to start this new era of hers. I think the fact that the album is coming out in the summer was definitely intentional, because of the bright yellow she has been promoting on social media.” Concepcion said.
Other students shared their opinions about what the bright yellow in Abrams promotions of the album could symbolize.
“I think the bright yellow in her new album symbolizes a more upbeat and fun album, where the black and white in her last album ‘Good Riddance’ is kind of monotone and depressing,” Eveleth shared.
This new chapter of life that Abrams seems to be entering has fans wondering what other new ideas she could have. Abrams has had minimal features on her work in the past. The first was on her single released in March of 2021, “Unlearn” with Benny Blanco. She just recently worked with Noah Kahan on his album “Stick Season (Forever)”, being featured on “Everywhere, Everything”.
Fans have some hopes and predictions of features that could appear on “The Secret of Us”.
“I have a feeling that Taylor Swift will be on the album because of their friendship and the fact that they performed “I miss you, I’m sorry” on the Eras tour together.” Concepcion shared.
Eveleth hoped for the same, but wasn’t sure if it would actually happen. “I’m praying for a Gracie & Taylor collab but honestly with how busy Taylor is, I’m not really expecting it” Eveleth said.
Swift has been extremely busy recently, and so has Abrams. She performed so many opening shows on The Eras Tour, while writing “The Secret of Us”, not even to mention her unreleased songs. Fans had hoped that some of their favorite unreleased Abrams songs could possibly make the album.
“I hope Gracie’s unreleased song ‘Close to You’ is on the album, I feel like it could be because it is also more upbeat,” Simon said.
Concepcion shared her hopes. “I love the unreleased song ‘Deep Red’, I’m not sure if it could make the album but I would love it if it did.”
While some students hoped for their favorite unreleased songs to be on the album, others have a different perspective on the idea of unreleased songs. “I haven’t listened to any of the unreleased songs because I really wanna hear them all for the very first time when her album is released,” Eveleth said.
Many fans are in the same boat as Eveleth, and some believe that it is disrespectful to Abrams to listen to her work without giving her proper credit for it. They believe that Abrams should be given the recognition she deserves by only listening to tracks under her name, rather than tracks that were leaked by somebody else.
The announcement from Abrams about “The Secret of Us” had fans ready to comprehend the emotional lyrics and sounds that they were expecting. A common theme among fans of Abrams is how emotionally connected they feel to her after listening to her music.
“I love how honest Gracie is in her music with her lyrics, it almost feels like you’re reading her diary,” Simon said.
Eveleth shared a similar opinion. “I love how relatable Gracie’s music is and I love how when I’m listening I’m able to almost put myself in her shoes.”
Feeling emotionally understood through music can be rare, but Gracie seems to really capture it perfectly. “I feel like Gracie is able to put her emotions into music in such a unique way, I feel like I’m in my own little bubble when I’m listening to her,” Concepcion said.
At the end of the day, beyond the excitement for “The Secret of Us”, fans have an endless amount of love for Abram and are ready to support her in this new chapter of her life, whatever that may be.
